Kevin Lunney tells the Herald about the graduate programme that is set to be introduced at Quinn Industrial Holdings Ltd.
THE SCALING back and in some cases total removal of graduate programmes in companies across the country has, perhaps, been a casualty of the economic downturn in recent years.
But, one of the county’s biggest employers – Quinn Industrial Holdings Ltd (QIH) – is to create around 15 jobs through its relaunched graduate and apprenticeship programme
The company currently employs 700 and chief operations officer, Kevin Lunney, told the Fermanagh Herald that it is vitally important from a QIH perspective, and a wider business perspective, that the county seek to retain its talent.
The ‘educate for export’ dilemma has been a feature of the recent past locally and a lack of quality jobs, as well as social factors, has left the county struggling to retain its graduates.
“Obviously when businesses are under pressure as they have been in many years they look to cut costs and consolidate and sometimes recruiting graduates and putting the investment of time into continuing education for their employees is maybe not top of the list,” Mr Lunney explained,
“But we see this as a priority, to get access to a quality graduate pool because we see that as key to the business over the next 10 to 15 years.”
The company is relaunching its graduate programme on July 23 at Quinn Packaging. Its offering a range of opportunities for graduates and apprentices.
“I think our most successful graduate programmes historically have been people who have a connection with the area: People who have sought to create locally-based, long-term careers for themselves. This programme allows them to do that,” Mr Lunney said.
“It will create every strong long-term technical and mangerial jobs for them, and long-term careers for them.”
The company is recruiting for graduates and apprentices in fields including accounting and finance, engineering and architecture and building science, but an important feature of the graduate programme, Mr Lunney said, is how it allows recent gradutes to move up through the business.
“The development of the Quinn Industrial Holdings and all the entities in it is down to the quality of the people and if we can get the sufficient level of individuals interested in this and going through the graduate programme over the years we think it can be a cornerstone of the management team for the business in the future.
“This is a primary objective of what QBRC was formed for: To retain jobs locally, to develop a business locally and to ensure that there are quality opportunities for people in this area.
“That in itself will create a substantial benefit and dividend to people in this area.”
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